Exercise addiction
Exercise addiction is a condition where physical activity becomes a central focus in an individual's life, often leading to negative consequences for personal responsibilities and social relationships. Characterized by excessive and compulsive engagement in high-intensity exercise, those affected may experience withdrawal symptoms when unable to exercise, and may prioritize workouts over social interactions, work, and even health. Emotional disorders, personality traits, and societal pressures frequently play a role in the development of exercise addiction, with individuals often driven by motivations related to body image and control over weight. Symptoms can include lengthy workout sessions, feelings of guilt for missing exercise opportunities, and adherence to strict routines, which may result in physical ailments like fatigue or amenorrhea in women. While not classified as a standalone disorder in the DSM-5, exercise addiction often coexists with other conditions, such as eating disorders. Treatment typically requires a multifaceted approach, including professional guidance to evaluate physical and emotional health, establish healthy eating habits, and develop coping strategies. Recovery can be a lengthy process, emphasizing the importance of balancing exercise with other aspects of life and fostering a healthier relationship with physical activity.
Exercise addiction
DEFINITION: Exercise addiction is an observable condition characterized by making physical activity central to one’s life, often to the detriment of other responsibilities and obligations. A person addicted to exercise voluntarily and compulsively participates in excessive physical activity, typically of high intensity and duration. They may engage in multiple daily sessions of physical activity, avoid rest days, embrace compulsive thoughts about activity during work or social times, and experience symptoms of withdrawal when exercise patterns are interrupted. Exercise addiction may be a symptom of other emotional disorders or may be a phenomenon in itself.
ALSO KNOWN AS: Compulsive exercise; exercise bulimia; exercise dependence; overtraining
Causes and Risk Factors
Exercise addiction may be caused by emotional disorders, personality characteristics, and social influences. The desire to control one’s weight and body image is typically a common rationale for exercise addiction, and the addiction often accompanies eating disorders such as bulimia. The pleasurable sensation associated with endorphin release (for example, the runner’s high) can provide the affected person with a motivation for pursuing exercise beyond moderation. Oftentimes, regret about lapses in regular activity can give way to inappropriate guilt about missing any opportunity to exercise.
Persons with tendencies toward obsessive-compulsive behavior, persons with body- and self-image concerns, and endurance athletes are most vulnerable to engage in physical activity for its own sake. Participation in extreme exercise beyond that necessary for health benefits, pursuing increasingly greater exercise accomplishments, and comparing progress with others of similar behavior can place one at risk for developing an unhealthy addiction to exercise. Participants in other-than-team sports and those who self-coach are at highest risk.
Signs, Symptoms, and Diagnosis
A person addicted to exercise may exhibit one or more of the following:
• activity sessions repeatedly lasting more than one hour
• feeling remorseful about missing an activity opportunity
• substituting activity for social interaction
• exercising to and through pain
• adherence to a regular and rigid routine
• being overly concerned about exercise goals
• inability to maintain an overall sense of relaxation and acceptance when not active
• amenorrhea (in females), fatigue, and depression
Researchers have found that many people diagnosed with bulimia possess tendencies toward exercise addiction and are therefore considered exercise bulimic. The anxiety felt when not exercising is lifted when one resumes the regimen.
Exercise addiction is not recognized as a primary disorder in the fifth edition of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-5, 2013) of the American Psychiatric Association, and diagnosis is challenging. The confirmation of exercise addiction ultimately rests with determining the importance and role of activity in a person’s life while still exploring other conditions that may be present.
Treatment and Therapy
Exercise addiction is similar in concept to other addictions in that it shares a link with an underlying condition. Since regular physical activity is a desired behavior of health promotion and maintenance, efforts should be redirected to maintaining an active lifestyle while rebalancing the role that exercise plays in one’s life. Because physical exercise is often recommended as a desirable substitute for many compulsive acts, it can become compulsive for those inclined to addictive behavior. Therefore, treating exercise addiction necessitates a multipronged approach, and it is unlikely that self-help or nonprofessional approaches to its cure will be effective.
Initially, a health care provider should determine the person’s present state of health, including his or her physical and emotional well-being. Further analyses should focus on the patient’s nutritional status and dietary habits, motivation for recovery and redirection of goals, capacity for implementation of coping strategies, and a health-focused activity prescription.
Treatment therapies would include the development of healthy eating habits; strategies for improving and maintaining a healthy self-esteem and body image; gradual incorporation of healthy, alternative recreational pursuits; and the monitoring of progress over time. It is likely that recovery from exercise addiction may take months and even years, and it must address underlying issues or other conditions. Even as the research into treatment efficacy progresses, individual counseling and monitoring will remain critical to achieving success.
Bibliography
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Gory, Alessio, Eleonora Topino, and Mark D. Griffiths. "Protective and Risk Factors in Exercise Addiction: A Series of Moderated Mediation Analyses." International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, vol. 18, no. 18, 2021, DOI: 10.3390/ijerph18189706. Accessed 30 Nov. 2022.
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